Stencils are a terrific way to decorate a wall without having to buy and hang wallpaper. Personally, I hate hanging wallpaper. I love stenciling. It’s really easy, as long as you’re careful with things like straight lines. All you do is stick the stencil to the wall and paint, or dab, or spray. It all depends on what medium you’re using.

Here is a gallery of ideas and some resources at the end. Enjoy!

The best place in the world to buy stencils is The Stencil Library. Most of these photos are from their blog (a great how-to resource). They have everything from this Rococo design to car tires and barbed wire.

The floral motif is a stencil. Here you can see it with just black and with the flowers in color – all stencilled. Which is your favorite?

I love this one. Use images from a book, enlarge them, and place them inside the stenciled swag. Instant gentrification! Your friends will buy you much better Christmas gifts when they see this in your hallway.

This is really pretty, too. Instead of inserting portraits into the “holes” they’ve used a flower stencil. Love it!

Looking for something Colonial? Some trees and a peacock made a nice frame for a fireplace. It softens the look and creates a beautiful focal point.

Yowza! You can stencil over wallpaper, too. Give it new life with some eye-popping motifs like these hearts. They’re made with the heart stencil and a lace stencil on top. This would look great in a teen room.

You can use your stencils over and over again. Make matching fabric and “wallpaper”. Do up the furniture while you’re at it.

Oh, I forgot. You can stencil the floor, too. You can stencil anything. Better stay away from the cat.

Stencils can also make a nice replacement for artwork. A few flowers and birds in a corner are so lovely. That’s all you need.

Finally, you don’t have to go all out. A few light birds in flight on a white ground makes a beautiful design statement.

RESOURCES

The Stencil Library – Best place ever. You can buy a CD of their designs.

Stencil 1 – Another creative choice.

Stencil Planet – I’ve never used their stencils. They have some nice damasks. Just wish they had larger gallery photos

Designer Stencils – Good for standards

Wall To Wall Stencils – Specializes in creating custom phrases, etc…

Clarissa Hulse (above) designs wallpaper and fabrics. She has an online shop where you’ll find bedding,  cushions (what we call toss pillows), lampshades and the cutest handbags.

Clarissa’s designs have a wide color palette with lots of metallics. I love these colorful designs, Meadow and Dragonfly. A bright paper is lovely in a powder room, child’s room, guest room or back hall. Don’t fear a bold statement. The accompanying furnishings can be minimal. You can find her shop here.

British designer, Katja Behre is the brains behind Elli Popp. Her fabric and wallpaper designs are very forward thinking and bright.

Many of her designs are created to blend together. You can use two styles in one room. Check out her site to get the idea. Elli Popp also has beautiful tableware. Her products are sold to the trade and through retailers. View the list here.

More great design from the UK. Farrow & Ball has introduced a new line called Baroque. Each pattern comes in a variety of colors.

Farrow & Ball is known for their traditional styles. I especially like their colorways and the larger patterns. They have an online shop which you can find here.

Hailing originally from France, Wallquest is a new find for me. Like Farrow & Ball, they have a variety of traditional styles. I love the paisley (above) from their Pelican Prints Cape Cod collection.

I love a floral wallpaper. The return of a more decorated home is a welcome sight for me. Wallpaper, in general, adds depth and dimension to any room.

Are you planning on using wallpaper in a home project? Tell us about it.

you remember Steinberg’s famous posters for The New Yorker. They depicted a map of the world from the viewpoint of  a New Yorker. Many other versions ensued through the years. Steinberg was a prolific cartooner for The New Yorker.

His work lives on in many ways, including these whimsical styles created in the 1950′s. Opera, above, comes in two colorways. The rest of the details are at the bottom of the post

New York, New York

• Suggested Retail Price : $78
• Width: 54″ wide
• Fabric 100% cotton
• Also available in wallcovering

Aviary Wallcovering

• Suggested Retail Price : $186 per roll
• Width: 27″ wide
• Strippable
• Not available in fabric

Views Of Paris

• Suggested Retail Price : $86
• Width: 54″ wide
• Fabric 100% cotton
• Also available in wallcovering

Opera

• Opera
• Suggested Retail Price : $188
• Width: 68″ wide
• Fabric 100% cotton
• Available in 2 colorways
• Not available in wallcovering

If You Would Like To Order

I promised a few people that I would post this today. Naturally when I called for pricing, I was told there will be a price increase next week. Not to worry, I’ll post the increases next week and add pricing for wallcovering. The prices noted here are Schumacher’s suggested prices. Designers are not required to sell for that price. If you are interested in placing an order through my online buying service, shoot me an email with the style and the quantity you need.

And now, without further ado, the winner of 20 square feet of custom wallpaper from Alluminare is:

Libby U!

Congratulations, Libby! You will be receiving your coupon directly from Alluminare. And your Design Hole T Shirt from me! Yay!

Here is her design, along with her plan for making picture frames and some cool art. I hope I’ve translated the instructions properly. If not, I hope Libby will set me straight. Or, better yet, send me a photo of the finished project.

Cool Picture Framed Art

1. Buy nine – 1 foot square frames and spray paint them black.
2. Carefully cut out a bunch of 1-inch x 1-inch squares of wallpaper – it’s ideal because you don’t need to trim or break the pattern.
3. Tack the squares to the front of the frames (and only the fronts, no wrap-around).
4. Arrange the frames into a 3-foot ?ó 3-foot grid and secure them together (temporarily, carefully).
5. Find a simple, graphic design and paint it in white across all the pieces.
6. Separate the pieces, affix to the wall in the same grid order, but about 1 to 2 inches apart on all sides.

Libby suggests: You could do this in any arrangement. A cool option would be to have several squares in a row, vertically or horizontally, and a long, skinny graphic across them. Perhaps use the same pattern in border form…at an angle, maybe…endless possibilities. Even vector family portraits, Lichtenstein-style, if you’re particularly artistic (that would be rad).

Thanks again to everyone for giving us some great ideas. And thanks to my sponsor, Alluminare for such a great prize.

Candy designed this beauty

Now to the contest. This is the last day to enter for a chance to win 20 square feet of wallpaper from Alluminare. You design it yourself! Just visit the site, design your favorite style and post the link in the comments. Let me know what your idea is for using the wallpaper in a craft project.

You can read all the details here.

I’ll announce the winner tomorrow morning. There’s no time to waste, so enter today.

Wow, Graham & Brown has introduced a new site that is one cool breeze. Choose your wallpaper and you can see it in a variety of room settings. You can also see other color choices and, best of all, coordinating patterns. Since they have such an enormous selection (and no, they didn’t pay me to say that), it makes finding what you want really easy.

You can start by choosing color, or a style, or a designer you like. It’s so efficient, it’s almost better than shopping in a store. But, since you’re not, be sure to order a sample so you know it’s the right color.

Check out their new line called Essence (above). It’s a series of wallpapers designed to work together. Most sell for $70 per double roll.

Black and white patterns look great and are easier to work with. They’re not blinding. Use color is in the accessories. Here I’m showing Walnut’s Little Whales pattern, and Graham & Brown’s Suzanne.

Bedrooms are a favorite place for a patterned wall. Anna French’s Glamour Collection is a particular favorite of mine.

If you want to use bold patterns like this, here are some tips:

• Try a colored pattern on one wall. Paint the other 3 in a matching color.
• Cover all four walls in a small space. This is the best way to make use of a bold pattern. A large room might create a kaleidoscope effect.
• Don’t stop at the walls – think about the ceiling, too. A powder room would look terrific covered in a bold print. Use a matching fabric on the window.

Are you brave enough to try a big, bold pattern?

I’m contacting some favorites of mine, but I’d like to showcase undiscovered, young, old, interesting fabric and wallpaper designers. If you, or someone you know, might be interested in having their work on the masthead, please have them contact me. Their name will appear in the lower-left hand corner of the masthead, or just below it.

Thanks for helping me spread the word.